Bloat- How long should it last?

[Kaston]

Hi all, first time posting. My little Lima (6m, Female) has been suffering symptoms of gas/bloat. She has been pressing her hips and belly to the floor periodically and rolling and stretching lots, as well as passing droppings with small gas bubbles/shiny bits on them. I also heard gurgles coming from her belly. Her digestion was still absolutely fine, eating and pooping lots, so I started her on simethicone drops immediately and observed her for a few days. She continued much the same, I was giving her 3 droppers of Infacol a day and frequent tummy rubs, but she was still stretching lots and I was worried she could be in pain so I took her to the vets.
The vets prescribed Emeprid (metaclopromide), Metacam, and advised me to keep going with the simethicone, which I have been doing. This was on Saturday evening, so she has now been on all of this medication for 4 days and is still doing the strange stretches? Another thing I’ve noticed is that she’s being very very chewy (far more than usual) with her non-edible cage items like her wooden chin hut and wooden perches, does anyone know if this indicates pain or is a symptom of bloat? Again- her digestion and appetite still seem to be doing great (thank god), so I’m pretty sure I caught it before it got bad, but does anybody know how long these mild symptoms can last? Or does it sound to anybody like something else is going on? Is this just a waiting game now or do I need to take her back? Her medication is due to run out on Friday, do I need to get more? Thanks so much in advance for any advice!

 

[Amethyst]

Chins can't pass gas on their own, they can pass it as they poops but can't burp or fart, so having gas is dangerous. Normally gas should resolve within 12-24 hours, the most common cause is something they ate, going on this long I would look for what could be causing it. As far as I know chewing on wood items doesn't mean bloat or pain, they should be chewing a lot since their teeth are always growing.
I need some more information.

What is she eat? as in what kind of pellets, what kind of hay, what kind of treats if any?

Could she have eaten something she shouldn't have? like while out during playtime or someone in the house giving her something?

How much exercise does she get?

Did the vet do any x-rays to check for a blockage?

Did the vet have any idea of the cause or say anything about how long it should take to see improvement?

 

[Kaston]

Chins can't pass gas on their own, they can pass it as they poops but can't burp or fart, so having gas is dangerous. Normally gas should resolve within 12-24 hours, the most common cause is something they ate, going on this long I would look for what could be causing it. As far as I know chewing on wood items doesn't mean bloat or pain, they should be chewing a lot since their teeth are always growing.
I need some more information.

What is she eat? as in what kind of pellets, what kind of hay, what kind of treats if any?

Could she have eaten something she shouldn't have? like while out during playtime or someone in the house giving her something?

How much exercise does she get?

Did the vet do any x-rays to check for a blockage?

Did the vet have any idea of the cause or say anything about how long it should take to see improvement?

She eats science selective pellets and Timothy and alfalfa hay seeing as she is still growing I give her a bowl of each, but was planning on gradually phasing out the alfalfa soon.
Treat wise I’m obviously giving her barely anything at the moment but usually it’s just oats and rosehips and occasionally a shredded wheat. There is a chance she could have eaten something she shouldn’t have but I do try to keep a very close eye on her during playtime. The vet said it could be many causes and that I should have seen improvement by Monday or Tuesday, but I’m unsure of what “improvement” means, she’s certainly not getting any worse but I’m not sure that she’s getting better either, she’s still stretching out but maybe slightly less frequently? I’m concerned to hear that it should normally pass within 12-24 hours, maybe there is something else at play. She hasn’t had any X-rays done but the vet gave her a physical examination and felt her belly and didn’t find anything concerning, and surely if she had an impaction it would have slowed down her gut movements? Thanks for all your help

 

[Kaston]

Chins can't pass gas on their own, they can pass it as they poops but can't burp or fart, so having gas is dangerous. Normally gas should resolve within 12-24 hours, the most common cause is something they ate, going on this long I would look for what could be causing it. As far as I know chewing on wood items doesn't mean bloat or pain, they should be chewing a lot since their teeth are always growing.
I need some more information.

What is she eat? as in what kind of pellets, what kind of hay, what kind of treats if any?

Could she have eaten something she shouldn't have? like while out during playtime or someone in the house giving her something?

How much exercise does she get?

Did the vet do any x-rays to check for a blockage?

Did the vet have any idea of the cause or say anything about how long it should take to see improvement?

and in response to exercise she comes out twice a day, she gets at a very minimum an hour of running around per day

 

[Amethyst]

She eats science selective pellets and Timothy and alfalfa hay seeing as she is still growing I give her a bowl of each, but was planning on gradually phasing out the alfalfa soon.
Treat wise I’m obviously giving her barely anything at the moment but usually it’s just oats and rosehips and occasionally a shredded wheat. There is a chance she could have eaten something she shouldn’t have but I do try to keep a very close eye on her during playtime. The vet said it could be many causes and that I should have seen improvement by Monday or Tuesday, but I’m unsure of what “improvement” means, she’s certainly not getting any worse but I’m not sure that she’s getting better either, she’s still stretching out but maybe slightly less frequently? I’m concerned to hear that it should normally pass within 12-24 hours, maybe there is something else at play. She hasn’t had any X-rays done but the vet gave her a physical examination and felt her belly and didn’t find anything concerning, and surely if she had an impaction it would have slowed down her gut movements? Thanks for all your help

Ok so the food looks ok, and it's a good sign that she is still eating good. Has she always been on that food? If so that is not likely the problem. Oats and shredded wheat both are known to cause gas though, some people are starting to no longer recommended them because of that. Have you given any treats since this gas issue started? If so I would just stop all treats and see if that helps.

So when you say the poops are good other then have bubbles, they are still normal size?

Left to Right: Small, Hard Droppings Indicative
of Constipation; Skinny Droppings with Pinched Ends
Indicating Straining and Difficultly in Passing Stool;
Normal Chinchilla Droppings

I would also give the vet a call and let them know there is still no improvement. You may need a different drug like a probiotics or something like that to help with digestion (normal digestion should not cause gas). This write up might help with things you and the vet can try Treatment and Prevention of Bloat

 

[Kaston]

Ok so the food looks ok, and it's a good sign that she is still eating good. Has she always been on that food? If so that is not likely the problem. Oats and shredded wheat both are known to cause gas though, some people are starting to no longer recommended them because of that. Have you given any treats since this gas issue started? If so I would just stop all treats and see if that helps.

So when you say the poops are good other then have bubbles, they are still normal size?

Left to Right: Small, Hard Droppings Indicative
of Constipation; Skinny Droppings with Pinched Ends
Indicating Straining and Difficultly in Passing Stool;
Normal Chinchilla Droppings

I would also give the vet a call and let them know there is still no improvement. You may need a different drug like a probiotics or something like that to help with digestion (normal digestion should not cause gas). This write up might help with things you and the vet can try Treatment and Prevention of Bloat

No she used to be on a different pellet, but I researched that the science selective was the gold standard here in the UK so I switched her over very gradually and this was a few weeks ago, so I don’t see that that should be the issue.
The issue with treats is that the only way I’ve been able to get her to take a decent amount of simethicone is if I put it on a spoon and sprinkle a pinch of oats on top. I’ve tried forcing it with a syringe she finds it very stressful and doesn’t take much at all. If it’s the oats causing the issue is it better to stop this whole process and have zero treats but also no (or a very small amount of) simethicone?
looking at that diagram they’re actually more like the middle one, I’m seeing a fair few pinched ends, what does this mean?
I phoned the vets and told them there was no improvement and they said I could either see a regular vet for an emergency appointment (with virtually no chinchilla experience) or see the actual exotic vet on Saturday morning, so I’ve booked her in with the exotic on Saturday morning because there’s no alarming signs of stasis or anything like that, and she’s on metacam so I’m assured that she’s not in pain.
Is there anything I can do until saturday? Other than keep up the medication and exercise and belly rubs and closely monitor her?

 

[Amethyst]

No she used to be on a different pellet, but I researched that the science selective was the gold standard here in the UK so I switched her over very gradually and this was a few weeks ago, so I don’t see that that should be the issue.
The issue with treats is that the only way I’ve been able to get her to take a decent amount of simethicone is if I put it on a spoon and sprinkle a pinch of oats on top. I’ve tried forcing it with a syringe she finds it very stressful and doesn’t take much at all. If it’s the oats causing the issue is it better to stop this whole process and have zero treats but also no (or a very small amount of) simethicone?
looking at that diagram they’re actually more like the middle one, I’m seeing a fair few pinched ends, what does this mean?
I phoned the vets and told them there was no improvement and they said I could either see a regular vet for an emergency appointment (with virtually no chinchilla experience) or see the actual exotic vet on Saturday morning, so I’ve booked her in with the exotic on Saturday morning because there’s no alarming signs of stasis or anything like that, and she’s on metacam so I’m assured that she’s not in pain.
Is there anything I can do until saturday? Other than keep up the medication and exercise and belly rubs and closely monitor her?

Yeah if it was a few weeks ago then the food is unlikely the cause. Oats even when they are given as a treat should be limited to just a pinch (few oats) a week. If you have to use treats to get her to take the gas drops you can try another kind of treat and see if that works.


Aside from a dropper full you didn't say the actual dosage for the gas drops. The dosage for gas drops for chins is 20mg of simethicone every 8-12 hours, if I'm looking it up right then Infacol is 40g of simethicone per 1ml? So you should be giving 0.5ml of drops every 8-12 hours, giving more wont hurt but it also wont help anymore then the proper dose since excess is just peed out.

The middle poops mean she is straining to poop, which could mean they are squeezing past a partial blockage.

Since she has meds I'm not sure there is much more you can do, just try to keep her comfortable, but also have the emergency number on hand just in case she gets worse before Saturday.

 

[Kaston]

Yeah if it was a few weeks ago then the food is unlikely the cause. Oats even when they are given as a treat should be limited to just a pinch (few oats) a week. If you have to use treats to get her to take the gas drops you can try another kind of treat and see if that works.
View attachment 21310

Aside from a dropper full you didn't say the actual dosage for the gas drops. The dosage for gas drops for chins is 20mg of simethicone every 8-12 hours, if I'm looking it up right then Infacol is 40g of simethicone per 1ml? So you should be giving 0.5ml of drops every 8-12 hours, giving more wont hurt but it also wont help anymore then the proper dose since excess is just peed out.

The middle poops mean she is straining to poop, which could mean they are squeezing past a partial blockage.

Since she has meds I'm not sure there is much more you can do, just try to keep her comfortable, but also have the emergency number on hand just in case she gets worse before Saturday.

Thank you, this is so helpful. I have dried dandelion to hand so I’ll use that with the simethicone instead, and turns out I’m giving her far too much! If it’s only 0.5ml I can probably get that into her with a syringe. I will completely stop with the oats and shredded wheats, I fear that’s where the gas problem may be coming from. Once again thank you, I will post back on Saturday!

 

[Kaston]

Hiya- I took her to the vets again yesterday. He felt her tummy and said he didn’t think she was bloated anymore and couldn’t feel any gas, so he wasn’t concerned. The problem however is that her tummy is still gurgling, she is still stretching periodically, and now I have noticed that some of her poops have a shiny sort of mucous coating and a couple of them have had an odour? Does this sound like diahorrea because of the medication she has been on, or could it indicate infection? The vet said he couldn’t see any sign of infection but gave me baytril anyway as a “just-in-case” precaution, however I’ve seen on this forum that baytril probably shouldn’t be used as a just in case? I asked about a stool sample and he said he didn’t think it would show much and the results would take 10 days to come back anyway does anyone have any advice??